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Prince Ivan and the grey Wolf [here] I will warn you right away that this list will have quite a few russian/slavic folktales. But this is my all time favourite. The fairytale i will say right away is quite long all things considered but its length comes with some amazing character interactions (which is ALWAYS something i adore in fiction). Especially the weird alliance-of-circumstance between Prince Ivan and the Wolf. This story has it all. Mythical lands, creatures, intrigue, a sweet romance, the wolf as the ultimate wingman and it ends with Ivan crashing through the church doors while riding the wolf to crash a wedding and save his beloved. What else could a man ever ask for?

Jorinda and Joringel [here] I have a very personal history with this fairytale as it essentially rekindled my love for folklore and fairytales at the age of 14 when we read this story in school. But it also was the start of a huge chunk of shame regarding said love for fairytales i have. Because well 14 year olds are cruel and the whole “cringe culture” was already rampant amongst teens back in my days 10 years ago. So while this classic Grimm Brothers tale of two lovers reuniting after being torn apart by a curse, is the reason why I had rediscovered my passion, when I think back about how all if mg classmates HATED this story and made fun about how stupid fairytales are, I felt like I could never let anyone know about how much i disagreed with them.

The Green Knight [here] now most of you probably read this title and think “oh the story for the Arthurian legends”? And while I love the stories of King Arthur and the knights of the round table as much as the next, this is in fact a Danish fairytale that just so happens to have a similar name. I had discovered it a few years back purely by accident while browsing the internet and fell in love with it. It has all the classic elements of a fairytale. The evil step mother, a princess trapped in a tower, a probably magical knight and the princess later having to escape her tower to rescue the knight instead. What’s not to love?

The Death of Koshei the Deathless [here] once again a russian fairytale and this one too is pretty long like a lot of russian fairytales. But let me tell you if you have never heard about this story before GO CHANGE THAT RIGHT NOW! Like genuinely this fairytale is so underrated in the west. (but frankly i feel like unless a fairytale has been adapted by disney most people here in the west could not give less of a shit about folkloric tales let’s be honest). A warrior princess, an undying Wizard, magical brothers in law and chase scenes? What’s not to love?

The Forest Bride [here] a sweet and simple fairytale from Finland. A man marries a talking mouse who turns out to be a cursed lady and turns back as he professes his live for her. Yeah this story owns my heart.

Maid Marleen [here] another example of “the princess in the tower” fairytale type like Rapunzel. But I think my favourite part was the one where the prince rescued Marleen from a bunch of assassins sent by his arranged fiancée. That is the sort of stuff i go WEAK over.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon [here] i learned about this story around 2021 from a friend I met in a “The Witcher” discord server and instantly fell in love. It’s a beautiful mix of “Psyche and Eros” mixed with “Beauty and the Beast” and “the black Bull of Norroway”. And i am so SAD we never got thar Don Bluth Animated Movie based on this fairytale. But I admit I am bias because I am also one of like 5 people out there that think Don Bluth’s Thumbelina is a pretty good movie.

Rübezahl [here] (translated: Turnip Number) also called Krakonos is a nature sprite and possibly ancient pagan mountain god from East Germany, Poland and Czechia. Specifically from around the “Giant Mountain” Region. There are MANY stories around Rübezahl. So many in fact I own an entire book filled with NOTHING but Rübezahl Stories. Also called “Lord of the mountains”, Rübezahl is sometimes a trickster, sometimes a protector of nature and sometimes even a guide to humans. But my favourite story of all is the one that explains how he got his german name “Rübezahl”. Where a princess he had kidnapped to be his bride, asks him to count all the turnips in a field so she could escape to her actual fiancé while he was distracted.

The Dwarf with the long beard [here] aaaahhhh long russian fairytales my beloved. This story is a bit absurd at times but i will say the love the hero and heroine have for eachother feels so genuine and the lengths they go to be with eachother once again is so important to a hopeless romantic like me.

The Black Bull of Norroway [here] now i will say right away i am WEAK for the “beast bridegroom” fairytale genre and the Black Bull of Norroway has MANY MANY MANY MANY variations around the entire globe that all follow the same story beats. Yet this is the version that stuck with me the most over all the years of me absorbing fairytales like a sponge. If you give it a read though small content warning this once has some pretty intense descriptions of blood and bodily harm to oneself.

Prince Lindwurm [here] just go watch the video Overly Sarcastic Productions made about this story. Trust me you will quickly understand why i adore this one.

Tsuru Nyobo (The Crane Wife) [here] first learned about this story because of the Vocaloid Song “Feathers Across Seasons”. And it has been my absolute favourite japanese fairytale ever since. But it also taught me the lesson that japanese fairytales only rarely get a happy ending. More often they end on a bitter sweet note and this one is no different. If you are a weeb/enjoy anime and have never heard about this tale i reccomend looking this one up as many anime tend to include little references to this fairytale. Gintama being one example.

The Snake’s Bride [here] this fairytale from the himalayas is another example of the animal/beast bride groom that i so adore. Like East of the Sun and West of the Moon this tale has elements and story beats from different fairytales i adore like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast or the Danish “Prince Wolf” (Ulf Kongesøn)

Krabat [here] I had briefly talked about this one before in an ask sent to me. The Tale is of polish and Sorbian origin but by far my favourite version is the book by Otffried Preussler. Seriously if you enjoy some dark fantasy with a happy ending in the style of 80s movies like the dark crystal or labyrinth, I assure you, you will adore this fairytale.

The Butterfly Lovers [here] a classic chinese tale first told to me by one of my closest friends. It is sweet, tragic and includes Cross-dressing à la Mulan. So of course I ended up loving it.

That out of the way now what are some of your favourite fairytales and pieces of folklore? Please let me know I would love to hear it and maybe get to know some fairytale I have never heard of before.